Ryan Papenhuyzen news: Melbourne Storm fullback’s return date and injury updates

Star player Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Melbourne Storm had yet another devastating injury just weeks after returning to the NRL.

The fullback is presently undergoing another round of rehabilitation after suffering a major ankle injury during his team’s September qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.

There is now hope, nevertheless, that he will be prepared for the next campaign.

The most recent information about Papenhuyzen’s injury and 2024 playing status may be found at Sporting News.
Updates on Ryan Papenhuyzen: Storm star is “overwhelmingly confident” about his impending comeback to the football field. Papanhuyzen has given a favorable update.

The speedster disclosed that he is expected to play in a Melbourne trial match.

This implies that he may play as early as February 15, when the Storm play the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL Pre-season Challenge.

According to Papenhuyzen, “I think I might be playing a trial game,” 9News said.

“I believe that I became a little overwhelmed by emotion and disappointment, wondering, “Not again, who have I let down? I doubt it helped that I could see my foot that way.

“I have this overpowering belief that I can (return to my best), even if it’s definitely not natural.

“I don’t know if that’s because of all the mental work I’ve done while I’ve been out, but I don’t see why not.”

He recently traveled back to the United States for a second stay with reconditioning expert Bill Knowles as part of his recovery.

He recuperated from a shattered kneecap in 2023 by spending time with Knowles in Philadelphia, and he chose to pay for the most recent trip on his own as he prepares to make a Round 1 return.

“For a full year, Storm has paid me, but I haven’t performed… I intended to go fix myself up with some of the money,” he remarked.

“I just want that clarity around moving in the same way after returning from my knee injury with Bill and the amount of confidence and reassurance he gave me.”

Without a doubt, luck exists in all aspects of life, but I believe that the more hard you work, the more opportunities there are for luck to find you. I deserve some good fortune.”

What happened to the fullback for the Melbourne Storm, Ryan Papenhuyzen?
Papenhuyzen tried to tackle Tom Flegler on the line in the closing moments of Melbourne’s defeat in the qualifying final against Brisbane, but he ended up in a pile on the ground.

Play was immediately stopped when teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona was also involved in the hit and fell awkwardly on the 25-year-old’s leg, leaving him screaming in pain.

“This scenario demonstrated that I’m not built for making tackles—I dislocated my ankle, broke my fibula, ruptured my deltoid, and ruptured my syndesmosis,” Papenhuyzen stated on the Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster-hosted Clubhouse podcast.

At first, it was thought that Papenhuyzen had broken his ankle complicated fracture.

He clarified this, though, by saying that the medical personnel who treated him had first been duped by some stray blood on his sock.

According to Papenhuyzen, “[The bone] actually stayed in the skin.”

“However, the physicians expressed concern at the blood on my sock, stating that it appeared to have come from a tackle.

“Well, I believe that everyone thought, “Oh s***, it’s out,” when they came out.

“When you’re on the ground and you hear people around you, you go into a panic.”

The great fullback returned to the field through the Queensland Cup and into first grade prior to this year’s finals, after missing 14 months of action due to a broken patella sustained against the Raiders in 2022.

Rumors about Ryan Papenhuyzen’s club: Will the great fullback depart the Melbourne Storm?
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in October, Papenhuyzen’s services were brought to the attention of an unidentified NRL team by a third party.

In addition to denying that the fan-favorite fullback is headed for an early departure, Melbourne General Manager Ponissi issued a statement describing the rumors as “factually untrue.”

“At no stage has any Storm official made contact with another club directly or via a third party regarding an early release of Ryan from his contract,” the statement said.

“The club has not been contacted for comment or clarity on the situation, with the exception of one text message.

“The journalist was told categorically that the narrative was factually false on that one occasion.

“Paps is a Melbourne Storm person, he is loved by his teammates, coaches and staff and adored by Storm members and fans across the country and we look forward to seeing him on the track when he resumes training in December.”

Papenhuyzen, who has a deal with the Storm that expires at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, has also expressed a want to stay with the team.

“I guess that’s the business of a footy club,” he said.

“There are many in it who are planning ahead and considering their next course of action. Apparently, there’s someone at the club who no longer believes that I am that person.

“I continue to have the support of many individuals at the club in addition to my teammates.

“However, it’s the nature of business, and individuals occasionally do that by asking questions and seeing what answers they receive.

“My job now is to prove them wrong and come back and make them eat their words.”

However, given his history of injuries and the impressive play of backup fullback Nick Meaney, the 25-year-old’s future is sure to be hotly debated.

Regarding the No. 1 jersey, Craig Bellamy may face a selection conundrum due to the rise of young gun Su’a Fa’alogo.